-estienne



- 5 Sheets-Sheet 1.

E N N E I T S E D A (No Model.)

Patented Nov. 5, 1895.

W W W ANDREW EGRAHAM PHOTO-U750 WASINNCF'ULQC,

(No Model.) 5 sheets-sheet 2.

A. D. ESTIENNE. MACHINE FOR DEGORTIGATING BAMIB 011 OTHER PLANTS.

110. 549,116. Patented Nov. 5, 1895.

\HHHHHHH NH ANDREW BYBRIIIAM,HWU'UYHQWASHINGIDN,"C. 4

5 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

4 A. D. EST-IENNE. MACHINE FORDEGORTIGATING RAMIE OR OTHER PLANTS. No.549,116.

Patented Nov.

ANmiEW HGRANAM, PNOTO-LI'HlQWASHINGI'Ol D,C.

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

A. D. 'ESTIBNNE.

MACHINE FOR DECORTIGATING RAMIE OR OTHER PLANTS- No. 549,116. PatentedNov. 5, 1895.

AN DREW BjRMMM. FNOTO-IJ'INOWASHINGTON, D D.

5 Sheets-Sheet 5,

(No Model.)

A; D". ESTIENNE. MACHINE FOR DBGORTIGATING RAMIE OR OTHER PLANTS. No.549,116.

Patented Nov. 5, 1895.

, ANDREW B.GRN1AM PflOTO-UTHQWASHINGTONjC.

UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

ALFRED DIEUDONNE ESTIENNE, OF MARSEILLES, FRANCE.

MACHINE FOR DlECORTlCATlNG RAIVIIE OR OTHER PLANTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 549,116, dated November5, 1895.

Application filed November 20, 1894. Serial No. 529,397. (No model.)Patented in France April 1, 1898, No. 229,095,- in Belgium January8,1894,No.108,003; in Spain February 2, 1894, No. 15,823, and in ItalyJune 30,1894,LXXI, 413.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALFRED DIEUDoNNn ESTIENNE, of the city ofMarseilles, (Bouchesdu-Rhone,) France, have invented an Improved Machinefor Decorticating Ramie and other Plants, Leaves, and Textile Materials,(for which I have obtained Letters Patent in France for fifteen years,dated April 1, 1893, No. 229,095; in Belgium for fifteen years, datedJanuary 8, 1894, No. 108,003; in Spain for ten years, dated February 2,1894, No. 15,323, and in Italy for fifteen years, dated June 30, 1894,LXXI, 413,) of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

This invention relates to an improved machine for decorticatin g ramieand other plants, leaves, and textile materials, wherein the variousoperative parts are so arranged and combined as to be easily dismounted,and in which the parts moving in contact always receive the same surfacespeed, so as to reduce the wear. The machine may be driven by hand orpower and is carried on wheels for transport by manual or other power,so that it may follow up the cutting of the crop of stalks or leaves anddecorticate the same immediately.

My invention consists in the novel arrangement and combination of partshereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is tobe had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisspecification, in which Figure 1 represents a side elevation, Fig.

2 a longitudinal section, and Fig. 3 a plan, Fig. 4 is an end elevationof the machine. of my improved decorticating-machine. Fig. 5 is asection, on a larger scale, of the principal operative parts.

The same letters and numerals of reference indicate the same parts inall the figures.

The apparatus essentially comprises, as shown in Fig. 5:

First, a revolving scutching-drum a, preferably of metal, provided withremovable metal blades 0, having blunt edges to avoid cutting thetextile material and preferably of such thickness and radial length asto be flexible, so as to facilitate the decortieation and separation ofthe filaments, the blades being held in position by set screws 0'.

Second, a pair of feeding and retaining rollers, of which the lower onecl is bluntly fluted and the otherv eimmediately above it is plain andcovered with india-rubb er. These rollers revolve in opposite directionsto feed the stalks to the beater, the upper roller 6 being journaled ina frame f, pivoted at f, so as to allow the roller to approach or recedefrom roller d, toward which it is pressed by springs g, so as to enablethe rollers to feed and slightly compress stalks of different diameters.

Third, a breaker-bar or anvil h, of suitable section, held rigid by twoend nuts and supported by the pillow-blocks in which the roller cl is journaled, so that the bar may be readily dismounted by removing the capsof the bearings.

Fourth, a revolving bed for the edges of the beater-blades to nip thestalks against, the bed having the same speed as the blades, so that theblades and bed conjointly rub and scrape the stalks. This bed is formedby an endless apron j, of rubber, passing over a rubber-covered rollerLand also passes around a drum is, journaled in bearings adjustable uponthe frame to enable the apron to be put in proper tension. 7

Fifth, a feed-table Z, adapted to allow only a single layer of stalks topass at a time between the rollers d and 6.

Sixth, a collecting and delivering device for the decorticated stalks.

The beater or scutcher a is carried by shaft I), mounted on bearings andactuated from shaft m through speed-gearsuch as a wheel at, in gear withpinion 0, in one with wheel 19, in gear with pinion g on thebeater-shaft b. A pinion 0, fast on the other end of shaft 1), drives,through the gear-wheels s and t, the roller 6, which is geared in turnwith roller d, by wheels to '1). The roller It is also driven fromshaft 1) by a belt running on pulleys m and y for driving the endlessapron. The diameters and number of teeth ofthe gearwheels are socalculated'that the parts in contact shall have the same surface speed.The rollers 01 andv e, which are both in contact with the stalks to bedecorticated, have the same surface speed and revolve in oppositedirections, so as to feed the stalks presented 25 when at work.

5 volve in opposite directions, so as to continually scrape the upperand under surfaces of the stalks which have been broken by the blows ofthe beater-blades. I11 order that the pressure with which the blades bedthemselves upon the endless apron may be regulated, the roller 2' isjournaled in bearings 1, which are adjustable by means of keys and nuts2.

The breaker-bar h is placed above cylinder I 5 i and at the side ofroller (1, with the necessary clearance to avoid all friction, and sothat the circle described by the edges of the beater-blades 0 shall passclose to the upper edge of the bar 72. The frame 3, on which theoperative parts are mounted, is supported by a metal frame 4t on thebase-frame 5, sup ported by the axle of wheels 6, and provided withhangers 7, in which work screw-legs 8 for steadying the machine on theground 9 are the shafts for draft purposes. Z is a feed-table upon whichthe stalks to be decorticated are placed. This table has side cheeks 10and is divided just in front of the rollers by spring-partitions 11 0into a number of narrow channels, each giving passage to only a singlestalk at a time.

\Vhen the stalks have been subjected to the combined action of thefeed-rollers,

beater-drum, and endless apron, the fila- 3 5 ments are deprived of allpelliele and fall onto a pair of curved angle iron bars 12, situateddirectly below the endless apron and supported at one end by a bracket13, fixed to the side frame, the bars terminating at the opposite end inbent portions lei 15, fixed to is carried by an arm 20, fixed to therotating shaft 17. This finger collects the decorticatcd stalks at thefront of the machine. For this purpose the outer curved bar 12 carriesby a hanger 18 an inclined trough 19,

in which the decorticated stalks are laid by the finger 16, which ismade of such form (best shown in Fig. l) as to carry the filaments alongbefore the arm 20 can reach the stalks and become entangled in thefilaments.

The collecting-finger is operated by a wormgear 21 011 shaft 011, ingear with aworm-wheel 22 upon the shaft 17. It is indispensable to theefficient action of the machine that the endless apron be kept perfectlyclean, for

which purpose a brush 23 is placed toward the under side of the roller71:, and is pressed against the endless apron by spiral springs 21-, thebrush being supported in a pair of lever-arms 25, carried by arock-shaft 26, (see Fig. 4,) operated by a hand-lever 27, which issecured by a locking-bolt 28, pressed up by a spring 29 to hold thebrush in proper position.

The action of the apparatus is as follows: The stalks to bedecorticated, placed on the feed-table Z, are pushed forward by handinto the channels 11, which only allow a single row of stalks to passbetween the rollers (Z and e, as each aperture only gives passage to asingle stalk. The stalks, being then drawn in by the feed-rollers d 6,pass over the breaker-bar 7i, and each successive portion as it projectsbeyond the bar becomes broken by the impact of the beater-blades c, thewoody portion or pith beingthrown out, while the filaments passuninjured between the blades and the bar. The, stalks thus convertedinto stricks are then nipped between the beatcrs and the endless apronj, by which they are freed from the pellicle. As the beater and endlessapron have a greater velocity than the rollers (Z and c, by which thestalks are retained, a continuous rubbing or scraping action is producedby which all the pellicle still adhering is removed, while the filamentsare thrown by the movement of the endless apron onto the curved bars 12,as shown in Fig. 2. The collector 16 in revolving about the axis 17 andbetween the two bars 12 pushes the stalks along, accumulates them inbundles and finally discharges them into the gutter 19.

It will be evident that the machine may be constructed of variousdimensions and that the details of construction may be varied to suitthe work without in any way affecting the principle of the invention.

I claim 1. In a decorticatin g machi ne, the combina' tion of arevolving beater cylinder a provided with removable blades, an anvil 71an adjustable moving bed formed by a rubber apronj and rubber coveredroller 1' acting in con j unction with the beater blades, means fordriving the roller i and the beater cylinder at the same circumferentialspeed, feed rollers (Z and c, and means for drivin the same at a commonsurface speed lower than that of the beater cylinder and roller '1 asspecified.

2. The receiving and collecting device for the decorticated stalks,formed of a pair of concentric curved bars adapted to receive thefilaments as they fall, in combination with a finger carried by arevolving shaft and adapted to travel between said curved bars tocollect the filaments and conduct them to the front of the machine, asdescribed.

The foregoing specification of my improved machine for decort-icatingramie and other plants, leaves, and textile materials signed by me this13th day of October, 189-1.

ALFRED DlllUDONNE .llE'lTlllSNll. lVitnesses:

A. AUZEL, \V. PORNFULL.

IIO

